Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent - March 14, 2023

-

Daniel 3:25, 34-43 Matthew 18:21-35

When asked to write a reflection I couldn’t have imagined that God would bless me with the one passage that is so important and personal. Today’s gospel hits close to home. Beyond my devoted wife and my close friends no one really understands the importance of forgiveness in my life. In the Gospel Peter asks, “Lord, when my brother wrongs me, how often must I forgive him? Seven times?” “No,” Jesus replied, “not seven times; I say seventy times seven times.” I have been forgiven more than what some should be, but I don’t believe that I have forgiven myself or others at the same accord. In fact, I know I haven’t. When Jesus talks about forgiving others what he is really saying is to forgive yourself. One cannot truly forgive others without truly forgiving yourself. I was under the belief that if I confess my sins, pray to God, and accept that God will let me into the Kingdom of Heaven I would be healed. The answer to that is No. Simply confessing to a wrong does nothing more than confess to words. Actions make confessions real.

I believe Visitation and everyone in the world needs a sense of belonging, community and friendship. I’ve been at Visitation since 2002. I’ve seen amazing things within the community, and I’ve seen pretty negative things. In the end though, we always seem to find a way to forgive and come together. Forgiveness seems difficult when we are focused on the wrong things. We have an amazing group of families and leadership. We should respect it and celebrate it.

Through my experiences participating in CRHP, serving as a Eucharistic minister and many  conversations with our friends, I have met some amazing individuals in this community who taught me the importance of friendship, kindness and compassion. I hope to also share those qualities with everyone around me including those I might find it hard to forgive. This Lenten season I pray to be more understanding of others, to forgive, and to be closer to God.

Q: What actions do I need to take to be more forgiving?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) - April 7, 2023

-
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1—19:42  Every morning when I go to Mass and the Priest asks for our intentions for the day, my response is for “wisdom, courage, comfort and trust.” Wisdom to fi gure out the answer, the courage to carry it out, and the comfort that it is the best solution and the trust to know God is guiding us in the best way. When I read the Psalms for today, I was taken back by David’s trust in the Lord to guide him and keep him safe. “In you, Lord, I take refuge”  A good friend coined this prayer when I was helping my parents navigate through my brother’s cancer. He passed away, but I continue to take comfort in those words and try daily to TRUST. Many people have commented on how they appreciate that petition so I continue to pray it.  There are big things and little things that come into our lives that require us to trust as David did. Some things are as small as smiling at the person at the traffic light or as big as standing up for another’s r
Read more

Monday of the First Week of Lent - March 11, 2019

-
Leviticus19:1-2, 11-18  Matthew 25:31-46 As I read my assignment for today, I felt relief. I knew these readings; I could relate to them. I had heard them multiple times and thought that I understood them well. The first reading from Leviticus tells me to love my neighbor as myself and to judge my neighbor justly. I know this! I believe this in my head! I often find it difficult to carry out, but I do believe it. Today’s gospel, Matthew 25, many of us know well through readings, songs, and social concerns committees, "Whatever you do for one of the least of …mine, you do to me." Feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; comfort the sick; visit the prisoner. We try to do these things in our life. I decided to read our parish book, Stranger God by Richard Beck, to see how it could expand my understanding of Matthew 25 – and expand it did! After I read the book, I realized that I had been reading Matthew 25 literally.
Read more

Monday of Holy Week - April 3, 2023

-
Isaiah 42:1-7 John 12:1-11  One of my New Year’s resolutions is to be more mindful about how I spend my time. When we started having kids, everyone was always telling us, “enjoy it while it lasts because they grow up so fast!” I’d look at my tiny baby and think, yeah okay, we’ve got a long way to go. Fast forward 6 years, we have a kindergartener, and I am constantly asking myself, “where did the time go!?!?”  This Gospel is a reminder to me that I need to take advantage of every moment just as Mary decided to take advantage of that special moment with Jesus when she anointed his feet. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of everyday life and fi nd ourselves just going through the motions without putting much thought into the importance of our actions. When I am at church, am I really present? I often fi nd that my focus is on how my children are behaving and if they are disturbing the people around us. When I am at home, am I making the most of my time with my family? Sadly,
Read more